Nestled on 209 well-manicured acres, Conway Farms Golf Club is a walking-only private club located in the northern Chicago suburb of Lake Forest. The course, designed by Tom Fazio, opened in 1991, and six years later it hosted the 1997 NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Championship won by Pepperdine. A year later, the U.S. Junior Amateur was conducted at Conway Farms, where James Oh edged future PGA Tour winner Aaron Baddeley in the championship match.

The 2012 U.S. Mid-Amateur will be the club’s second USGA championship.

Conway Farms also was the host site for the 2009 Western Amateur, sectional qualifying for the U.S. Open in 2008 and the American Junior Golf Association’s Canon Cup in 2002 and 2006.

Fazio designed Conway Farms in the tradition of Scottish links courses. The vision for this golf club began in 1956 when three Lake Forest families had the vision and foresight to purchase a farm straddling old Conway Road, thus giving way to the naming of the club. The club’s founders wanted a walking-only facility that supported fast play and amateur golf. Virtually half of the club’s membership possess single-digit USGA Handicap Indexes.

Conway Farms also boasts World No. 1 Luke Donald as a member. Donald, who competed on two winning Great Britain and Ireland Walker Cup Teams (1999 and 2001), played the course a lot during his All-American career at nearby Northwestern University and later joined when he became a member of the PGA Tour. Conway Farms’ director of golf, Jeff Mory, was instrumental in recruiting Donald to Northwestern when he was the Wildcats’ head coach.

Knollwood Club, which is being used as the companion stroke-play qualifying course, was the host site for the 1982 U.S. Mid-Amateur, which was won by William Hoffer. It was the second Mid-Amateur played. It also hosted the 1956 U.S. Amateur Championship, which was won by E. Harvie Ward Jr.

The USGA and Chevron have committed to using the game of golf to encourage students in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) disciplines.
This commitment has led to the creation of extensive golf-focused STEM teaching tools, and has resulted in charitable contributions to support golf-related
programs through Eagles for Education

At U.S. Open Championships the Chevron STEM ZONE™ is an interactive experience highlighting the science and math behind the game of golf through a variety of hands-on exhibits and experiments.

The partnership has also produced educational materials such as the Science of Golf video series and a nationally-distributed newspaper insert which are provided to teachers as tools to enhance existing curriculum in schools. These lessons teach the science behind the USGA’s equipment testing, handicapping, and agronomy efforts.

Rolex has been a longtime supporter of the USGA and salutes the sportsmanship and great traditions unique to the game. This support includes the Rules of Golf where Rolex has partnered with the USGA to ensure golfers understand and appreciate the game.

As the official timekeeper of the USGA and its championships, they also provide clocks throughout host sites for spectator convenience.

IBM provides the information technology to develop and host the U.S. Open’s official website, www.usopen.com, as well as the mobile apps and scoring systems for the three U.S. Open championships. These real-time technology solutions provide an enhanced experience for fans following the championship onsite and online.

For more information on IBM and the technology that powers the U.S. Open and businesses worldwide, visit http://www.usopen.com/IBM

Lexus

Lexus is committed to partnering with the USGA to deliver a best-in-class experience for the world’s best golfers by providing a fleet of courtesy luxury vehicles for all USGA Championships.

At each U.S. Open, Women’s Open and Senior Open, Lexus provides spectators with access to unique experiences ranging from the opportunity to have a picture taken with both the U.S. Open and U.S. Women’s Open trophies to autograph signings with legendary Lexus Golf Ambassadors in the Lexus Performance Drive Pavilion.

Together, American Express and the USGA have been providing world-class service to golf fans since 2006. By creating interactive U.S. Open experiences both onsite and online, American Express enhances the USGA’s effort to make the game more accessible and enjoyable for fans.